The kitchen was filled with the warm-vanilla smell of fresh cookies. Sara reached for a crisp snowflake and Len swatted her hand away.
"Uh-uh. Those need to cool."
She tried to dodge around him to grab a pretty iced bird. He caught her hand easily.
"And those are for the party."
Sara pouted prettily, and stepped in close to wrap an arm around his neck. A delicate sapphire and diamond heart-shaped pendant nestled in the hollow of her throat and her eyes glinted mischievously.
"What are you up to?"
In reply, Sara laughed and took a swipe at his face with a fingertip full of icing. He caught her hand and brought it to his lips to suck the icing from her finger.
"Trying to steal a kiss, Leonard?"
"I didn't think I had to steal them anymore," he replied. Len closed his eyes as he leaned in to kiss her…
"Don't you do this to me!" Sara muttered fiercely.
Her face swam into focus as Snart opened his eyes. This looked like the Waverider's medbay. But hadn't they just been…home? He scrooged his eyes shut against a sudden pounding headache.
"Leonard, I need you to open your eyes," Martin Stein said cajolingly. "I need to examine your pupils."
He groaned in response.
"Len? Come on…come back to me," Sara pleaded.
He blinked in confusion. "Sara?"
"Yeah, it's me," she said with a relieved smile.
He blinked again. Her face seemed younger than he remembered, with some faint hard lines that it had taken a great deal of time and love to erase. He shook his head sharply, and nearly wobbled off of the examining couch.
Sara reached out a strong hand to steady him. "Len?"
"Where's your necklace?" he mumbled.
"Martin?" she asked, looking to the older man with concern. "Somebody tell me something."
The older man checked his readings and smiled gently. "He's got a concussion, Sara. He'll be fine."
Sara glared at Snart, then cuffed him sharply on the shoulder. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"
"And I believe that's my cue," Martin said, moving to exit the room. "Leonard, you can stay here, or go to your own quarters, whichever you prefer. Gideon will monitor you, and wake you on the hour, either way."
"I'll take care of him," Sara promised.
"I'm sure you will."
Snart stood carefully, and closed his eyes momentarily as the room spun around him. Sara ducked under his arm, steadying him.
"Maybe you should stay here."
"I hate this place."
"All right," Sara acquiesced, letting him lean on her as they made their way to his quarters.
Once inside, she helped him to his bunk, then knelt to unlace his boots. "That was really incredibly stupid," she scolded.
"I'm sure it was," he agreed.
"You don't even remember, do you?"
"Mr. Snart is suffering from short term amnesia, due to the blow to his head," Gideon supplied helpfully.
Sara crossed her arms and glared at him. "For one thing, I am perfectly capable of handling some wanna-be purse snatcher myself. For another, you slipped and fell on ice."
"And you're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"
"You scared me."
"I'm sorry," he said contritely. His eyes narrowed as he studied her. "Where's your necklace?" he asked again.
"What necklace? Gideon, is he all right?" Sara asked sharply.
"Mr. Snart, I believe the item you are referring to is currently located under your pillow."
Curious, Snart slipped his hand under the pillow and came up with a blue velvet jewelry case. "I, uh, guess I hadn't actually given this to you yet. Merry Christmas," he added belatedly.
Sara took the case and opened it with a delighted smile. "It's beautiful. Where'd you steal it?"
"Actually, Miss Lance, Mr. Snart purchased it with the proceeds -"
"Enough, Gideon. Are you at all familiar with the concept of privacy?"
"Of course, Mr. Snart -"
"What Mr. Snart means is - vamoose. I got this."
"As you wish, Miss Lance."
Sara perched on the edge of the bunk and Snart lifted the necklace from the case in her hands to gently fastened it around her neck. The pendant fit right in the hollow of her throat, just as he remembered. She turned her head and pressed a soft kiss to the side of his jaw.
"Thank you."
Sara scooted back onto the bunk and set the pillow in her lap, then guided Snart to lay back. "Rest. I'll wake you in an hour."
"Promise?"
"Yeah, I promise. Sweet dreams, Leonard."
Sara's laugh rang out, sweet and joyous as Len led her out into the backyard. She was bundled into his blue parka and looked adorable, and very, very kissable, so he paused to do just that.
"Not that I'm complaining," Sara murmured breathlessly a few moments later, "but we do have a lovely fire going inside."
"Later," he promised.
"Can I open my eyes yet?"
She felt his hands on her shoulders, guiding her to turn around.
"Now," he prompted, his breath warm in her ear.
Sara opened her eyes and smiled delightedly. There was a sparkling ice tree in the middle of the yard, draped with popcorn and hung with suet balls. Chattering birds perched on the 'branches' enjoying their winter feast.
"Did you make that?" she whispered.
Len nodded. "I didn't want to kill a real tree, so I went out in the woods and got a couple of fallen branches for the frame."
"It's beautiful. I love it."
"Funny. I was about to say the same about you."
"Len?" Sara shook his shoulder gently. "Come on, Len…it's been an hour. I need you to wake up now."
Snart opened his eyes to see Sara's worried ones looking back at him. "Hey."
"Do you know where you are?" she asked.
"My room on the Waverider, because I'm the bad guy with the cold gun who managed to slip and fall on sidewalk ice."
"Good guy," Sara corrected. "But otherwise, you got that right. How do you feel? You were smiling in your sleep."
"I was dreaming."
"Yeah? What about?"
"Me and you," he said, echoing a long ago conversation.
Sara raised an eyebrow at that.
"Not that kind of dream," he said hastily. "But it was…nice."
"OK," Sara said softly. "Think you're up to some cookies and hot chocolate?"
"Nothing stronger?" he pouted.
"Alcohol is inadvisable with a head injury, Mr. Snart," Gideon reminded him.
Sara slid carefully off the bunk and settled Snart's head on his pillow. "Back in a few. OK?"
He nodded.
Snart sat up gingerly. "You still here, Gideon?"
"I am never not here, Mr. Snart. In fact, it would be -"
"All right, I get it. Gideon…am I really OK?"
"Your vital signs and reactions are within normal parameters for a human who has suffered a mild concussion due to a blow to the head," the computer recited calmly.
"But what about these…visions…I've been having?"
"Dreaming is a normal mental process for humans."
"I know, but it seems like I'm seeing the future? Or a future? Is that possible? I mean, this is a time ship."
"Mr. Snart, if your experiences on the Waverider have taught you anything, you should realize that you are in control of your own destiny now."
"So that future that I saw - me and Sara - that could be real?"
"If you make it so."
"How's our patient, Gideon?" Sara asked brightly as the door slid open.
"Mr. Snart is well enough to engage in discussions of higher brain function and temporal physics," the AI informed her crisply.
"Riiiiight," Sara said dubiously.
She crossed to the bunk with a tray in her hands. Snart helped her to balance it as she sat beside him. There were two covered mugs of fragrant hot cocoa and a plate of daintily iced cookies, shaped like snowflakes and birds.
Snart selected a sparkling snowflake and took a bite. He hummed appreciatively as he chewed. "This is great. Did you make these?"
Sara fidgeted with her necklace nervously.
"Sara?" he asked, with uncharacteristic gentleness.
"I…um…I forgot about the holidays. It's…I was dead last Christmas, you know? And then I was traveling through time, and…I just forgot. So I wanted to make something for everyone…and…I'm sorry I didn't get you a present."
He reached out to lift her chin with a gentle finger. "Hey. I've got you, don't I? And we've got all the time in the world."
